Ditching-machine



(No Model.)

2 Sheets--Sheet 1. S. 0. ROBINSON.

DITOHING MACHINE.

No. 250,000. Patented NOV. 22,1881.

WITNESSES ATTORNEYS.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

S. O. ROBINSON. DITGHING MAOHINE.

v Patented Nov. 22,1881.

WITNESSES:

IN 1 \TTOR:

ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT Gimme.

SAMUEL O. ROBINSON, OF PEMBERTON, OHIO.

DITCHING- MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 250,000, dated November22, 1881.

Application filed August 5, 1881.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. SAMUEL (J. ROBINSON, of Pemberton, in the county ofShelby and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement inDitching-Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which-Figure l is a side elevation of myimproved ditching mechanism. Fig. 2 isa top view of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical central section,looking toward the front of the machine. Fig. 4 is a perspective view ofthe rear end of the machine, and Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views.

My invention relates to improvements in a ditchingmachine for whichLettersPatent were granted to me, dated June 28,1881,No. 243,624; and itconsists, first, in entirely inclosing both sides of the ditching-wheelwith suitable plates, to prevent the ingress of dirt into the wheel, anddishing said plates from the rim of the ditching-wheel to its center,whereby the thickness of the ditching-wheel is greatest at its rim, andthe side plates will not interfere with the sides of the ditch inexcavating it.

My invention further consists in certain details of construction,hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, a arepresent the wheels for supporting andcarrying the ditching mechanism, connected together by an axle, I),having a double crank at its middle, the horizontal part of which passesthrough opposite holes in the longitudinal sides of the frame 0, to theforward end of which the propelling power is applied. The horizontalpart of the axle also passes through central holes in theditching-wheel.

In lieu of the double-cranked axle described, a straight axle for thesupporting-wheels may be employed, and the machine may be held inworking position by means of handles (not shown in the drawings,)attached to the upper part of the frame of the machine in rear of thechute.

The ditching-wheel cl, adapted to revolve on the double crank-axle b inthe forward movement of the machine, is constructed as follows:

h represents the outer rim or tread of the (No model.)

ditching-wheel, and is provided with a series of transverse slots, 6 6,each adapted for the passage of a spade, and each spade fitting a slotclosely.

h h represent inner rims secured to the side plates of theditching-wheel and concentric with the outer rim and each other. Theconcentric inner rims, h h, are each provided with a series of holeslying radially opposite each other and the slots 0 c in the outer rim,It. Through each set of opposite holes in the inner rims passes theshank j of a straight spade, 7c, the outer end of the shank beingsecured to the middle of the lower end of a straight spade, 7c,

which passes through the slot 6 in the outer rim and fits closely insaid slot, so that in the back radial movement of a spade by means ofdevices hereinafter described all dirt that may adhere to the faces of aspade will be removed by the closely-fitting slot 'as the spade passesinto it.

I I represent the sides of the ditching-wheel, composed of metallicdisks, to which the edges of the outer rim or tread, h, and the edges ofthe inner rims, h h", are secured, thus entirely closing the sides ofthe ditching wheel and preventing the earth from collecting in thewheel. Therims ML 71. serve togive strength to the ditching-wheel, andthe opposite radial holes in the inner rims furnish a passage for theshanks of the spades back and forth in the wheel, which I will nowproceed to describe. The side plates, Z Z, of the ditching-wheel areeach provided with radial slots on m, lying opposite each other, eachopposite pair of slots being in line with a spade-shank, j, and as manysuch radial pairs of slots are formed in the side plates as there arespades. The inner end of each spade-shank j is provided 0 inner, side,and is provided with an outerrigid 10o rim, q, and an inner-concentricsplit rim, r, secured at intervals to the inner face of the cam- Theends 5 box, thus forming a cam-groove, 0, in which the end of the pin ais forced to travel in the forward movement of the ditching-wheel.

t represents a lug secured to the inner face of the cam-box 1) withinthe inner split rim, 1, and provided with a hole, through which passes abolt, to, secured at its opposite end to one end of the inner split rim,1", and encircled by a spiral springm, having one end bearingagainst thelug and its opposite end bearing against the rim. A single spring or anumber of springs may be employed at intervals around the inner rim.These springs should be of sufticient strength to press the spade movedback and forth by the cam-grooves into the earth; but if in therevolution of the ditching-wheel a spade should come in contact with astone or other obstruction,the elasticity of the spring would allow thespade to pass inside the rim of the ditching-wheel, and thus prevent thespade from breaking, and thus allow the ditching-wheel to pass over anobstruction without injury. The metallic disks 1 l, composing the sidesof the ditching-wheel and entirely closing them to prevent the ingressof dirt into the wheel, are each dished from near the rim of theditching-wheel to its center, whereby the thickness of theditching-wheel is greatest at its rim and least at its center, and theside plates are thus prevented from interfering with the sides of theditch or binding against them in excavating the ditch. The wheel-frame cand its braces are also similarly inclined toward the center of thewheel or dished so that the frame will be wider at its ends than in themiddle, the object of the dishing of the ditching-wheel and theinclination of its frame and side braces inwardly or toward the centerof the ditching-wheel beingto allow the ditchingwheel to cut deeper thanits semi-diameter, which requires that its frame and the offset part ofthe axle and braces should pass down into the ditch below the surface ofthe ground -Without coming in contact with the sides of the ditch, andthe frame 0 is made lower at its middle, where the axle passes throughit, than at its ends, to allow the wheel to be journalcd lower in theframe and extend down farther into the ditch, whereby a smaller wheelmay be employed to attain the same result as a larger one.

To the rear end of the frame 0 of the ditching-machine is secured theupper end of the circular sides a a of the chute w, which is madeconcentric with the ditching-wheel and wider than the horizontal part ofthe crankaxle of the ditching-wheel, to allow the latter and its frame 0and braces to pass into the ditch below the center of theditching-wheel. The sides a a fit close to the spades k as they revolve,to prevent the earth raised by them from falling back into the ditch. bb represent braces secured to the chute at each side near its lower endand inclined inwardly and attached to the sides of the frame at theirupper ends. The lower end of the chute w is sharpened, and preferablymade oval to enter the ground.

0 0 represent plates secured to the sides a a, of the chute w, andprojecting beyond said sides, and provided with a series of adjustingholes adapted to register with adj ustin g-holes in the flanges of anadjustable-plate, d, forming a continuation of the chute. The upper endof the plate d is provided with a hood, 0, perpendicular to the plateand having its sides inclined in opposite directions and adapted to shedany earth falling upon it and deposit it on either side of the ditch.The plate d and its hood 6 may be adjusted vertically, as desired,bymeans ofadjusting pins orbolts passed through the differentadjusting-holes in the plate 0 and the flanges of the plate (1.

To the upper end of the plate d, below its hood 0, are secured, one oneach side, the guards 7L3 h the opposite ends of said guards k h beingsecured to the cam-boxes p p, attached to the sides of theditching-wheel. The guards If h are inclined outward from the ditchi ng-wheel and are adapted to receive earth raised by the spades anddeposit it outside of the ditch.

'i t" represent arms extending from near the outer ends of the guards,to which they are secured, to an angular scraper, k, fitting close up tothe rim of the ditching-wheel, to which the opposite ends of the arms 1"are attached.

I l represent inclined scrapers, secured at their outer ends to theangular scraper k and at their inner ends to the cam-boxes p, and makingan acute angle with the sides of the ditching-wheel. The axle I) of theditchingwheel passes through central holes in the camboxes 12. Thegrooves 0 in the cam-boxes p are so formed as to extend the spades andretract them within the rim of the ditchingwheel, thus removing allearth from the s'pades as they pass through the slots in the rim.

By this construction it will be seen that the scrapers l l k, the guardsh h the cam-boxes p, and the hood 0 are all connected together and canbe raised or lowered on the same cen ter upon which the ditching-wheelworks, whereby, by adjusting the plate d, the earth need not be raisedto an unnecessary height when commencing the ditch, but the plate d canbe raised and secured by the bolts or pins passing through theadjusting-holes as the ditch is excavated. As the ditching-wheelrevolves the earth elevated to the top of the guards by the combinedaction of the spades and chute is, as the spade is drawn into theditching-wheel, carried up the chute by the pressure of the earth andspades below, press ing the earth elevated to the top of the guardsupward until it reaches the angular scraper k, scraping the outer rim ofthe wheel, the spade being drawn in the rim, which angular scraper kbars the further progress upward of the earth and divides it like thedouble mold-board of a plow, apart of the earth falling on the hood anda part on the guards h k and thence outside of the ditch on each side.

m represents a plate, secured to the outer face of the chute near itspoint and extending to the rear and adapted to rest on the bottom of theditch, to prevent the point of the chute from running too deep into theearth, and regulating its movement. a is a brace extending from the rearend of the plate m to the chute w.

I am aware that a ditching-wheel provided with a slotted outer rim and aseries of extensible and retractible spades arranged in the slots of theouter rim has heretofore been employed, and I therefore lay no claim tosuch invention.

I claim as my invention- 1. A ditching-wheel provided with a slottedouter rim, a series of retractible spades, and side plates entirelyinclosing both sides of the ditching-wheel, to prevent the ingress ofearth, substantially as described.

2. A ditching-whee1, (1, provided with an outer slotted rim, h, a seriesof retractible spades, 7c, and dished plates 1 l, entirely inclosingboth sides of the ditching-wheel, substantially as described, and forthe purpose set forth.

3. The combination, with the ditchingwheel (1, having dished sideplates, ll, of the frame 0, having less width at its middle than at itsends, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

at. The combination, with the ditching-wheel (I, having dished sideplates, 1 l, of the frame 0, having inclined sides and its ends higherthan its middle, substantially as described, and for the purpose setforth.

5. The combinatiomwith the ditching-wheel 01, provided with the sideplates, 6, having ra-- dial slots m, of the spade-shanks j, eachprovided with a pin, a, and cam-boxes 19, each having a cam-groove, 0,substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

6. The combination, with thecaln-box 12, provided with the outer rigidrim, q, of the inner concentric split rim, 1", lug t, bolt u, and spring12, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

7. The combination, with the ditching-wheel d, of the adjustablecam-boxes p, journaled on the axleof the ditching-wheel and scrapers 7c1, and guards h secured to the cam-boxes, substantially as described,and for the purpose set forth.

8. The combination, with the cam-boxes p, journaled on the axle of theditching-wheel, of the scrapers k l, and guards 1L3 and adjustable hoode, secured to the cam-boxes, substantially as described, and forthepurpose set forth.

9. The combination. with the chute 20, provided with theadjusting-plates c, of the adj ustable flanged plate d,having hood 6',connected by the guardsh with the adjustable cam-plates 19,substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

10. The combination of the chute 20, having the adj ustin g-plates 0,adj ustableflan ged plates d, having hood 0, ditching-wheeld, havingextensible and retractible spades, and scrapers kl adapted to removeearth from the wheel and to act as a stop for the raised earth,substantially as described.

SAMUEL O. ROBINSON.

Witnesses:

NEWTON MILLER, J OHN BoBLrr.

